Diversity Policy

The Counseling Center is sensitive to and committed to the value of diversity and the richness of human differences. Our service and training mission requires that people of all backgrounds be able to use the Center's resources with the expectation of respectful, non-prejudicial treatment and service. In particular, the center recognizes that stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, race, culture, sexual orientation, age, religious beliefs, socioeconomic class and differing abilities have affected counseling, training and programming practices in the mental health field. Thus, the Center's policies and procedures, as well as its activities, associations, and interactions with the campus community, reflect and promote the dignity and worth of the individual and the value and strength of diversity in the community. As a Center staff we are committed to addressing issues of prejudice, discrimination and oppression and the impact of those issues on the lives of the people we serve and train. The Center is considered a "safe" environment on the campus and we expect staff and trainees to contribute to and be affirmative in support of that safety.

Trainees and staff in the Center are expected to be committed to the social values of respect for diversity, inclusion, and equity. Further, interns and staff are expected to be committed to critical thinking and the process of self-examination so that prejudices or biases (and the assumptions on which they are based) may be evaluated in the light of available scientific data, standards of the profession, and traditions of cooperation and mutual respect. Thus, trainees and staff are expected to demonstrate a genuine desire to examine one's own attitudes, assumptions, behaviors, and values and to learn to work effectively within a diverse context. We expect to engage trainees in a manner inclusive and respectful of their multiple cultural identities. We expect trainees to examine their own biases and prejudices in the course of their interactions. Trainees are expected to engage in appropriate self-disclosure and introspection. This can include discussions about personal life experiences, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, feelings, and personal histories. Assuming no one is free from biases and prejudices, trainees will remain open to appropriate challenges from trainers to their held biases and prejudices. Trainers are also expected to be committed to lifelong learning relative to multicultural competence. We expect the same from staff trainers as we do from trainees.